


Free Me

by retroicseungs



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Other, Parents!HyunLix, Werewolves, Witches, minbin are newly wed, parents!minbin, yes they got jisung when they were bfs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26907070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retroicseungs/pseuds/retroicseungs
Summary: “Are all witches bad?”, Seungmin asked, a curiosity and innocence that only children have in his eyes.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin
Kudos: 14





	Free Me

It was a peaceful evening. Mr. Lee sat on his chair, reading the newspaper, while Mr. Hwang was on the couch, in a relaxed pose, reading a romance. Seungmin, now seven years old, was just learning how to read, and Mr. Lee being Mr. Lee bought for him every children's book he could find. The little boy sat on the floor, with one of them in hands, copying his parents.

“Dad.”, Seungmin suddenly called. Mr. Hwang lifted his eyes from his book. 

The little boy had grown taller and thinner in the last months, but still had chubby cheeks and a belly. He was now taller than most boys his age. His skin was lighter than Mr. Hwang’s but not as pale as Mr. Lee’s. He had dark and smooth hair, and his gold-red eyes reminded Mr. Hwang of his own late father's, while his smile was surely Mr. Lee’s

“Are all witches bad?”, Seungmin asked, a curiosity and innocence that only children have in his eyes. Mr. Hwang gripped on his book. His eyes lowered. His som was reading a fairytale. That's how he heard of witches and their bad spells. He was only curious. There was nothing behind it. But still, Mr. Hwang couldn't reply.

“Of course not!”, Mr. Lee replied. He folded the newspaper over his lap and gave his husband a worried look. “Witches are just like people. Some are bad, some are good. Just like there are bad and good people.” “Then why in stories the witches are always bad?”, Seungmin asked. “Because witches are such powerful creatures, that when they are bad they can make a big mess.”, Mr. Lee was a great storyteller. He told the most fantastic tales to Seungmin. He would change his voice and make gestures, and there was a glow in his eyes as he spoke. Seungmin loved it, and Mr. Hwang too. Mr. Hwang would have admired how he dealt with the situation, if he wasn't so immersed in his worries.

“Like cursing the whole city?”, Seungmin asked. “Yes.”, Mr. Lee turned to the clock on the wall, making an exaggerated expression of worry. “Look at the time. It's late, my prince. You should go to bed.” “Aaaah!.”, Seungmin groaned, not wanting to go yet. “Do I really have to go?”. “Yes. Now be a good boy and go to sleep.” Seungmin closed his book and left it on the floor. “Good night, Papa. Good night, Dad.”, with these words, he stood up and went to his room.

Mr. Hwang had barely moved since the question. His hands slightly trembled. Mr. Lee sat down on the couch beside him. “Hyunjin? Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.”, Hyunjin said, trying to calm himself. Mr. Lee gave him a suspicious look. “Really Felix, I'm fine.”

A pause. Felix kept looking at Hyunjin with a worried expression, while Hyunjin looked forward. “That's what they used to call me.”, he whispered. “Son of the witch.” Felix nodded. He knew that story. By the time he first met Hyunjin, this wasn't happening so much anymore, but he still heard sometimes people refer to him as that. “Because of mother’s superstitions.”, Hyunjin continued. “They used to make such mean pranks.” He reached for Felix’s hand. “The kids couldn't be doing the same to our baby, right?”

Felix held his hand tightly. Like Hyunjin, he had suffered his own share of mean pranks during his childhood. He knew kids could be cruel sometimes. Just the thought that Seungmin could have to deal with the same things even once made him wish to keep his son home forever, protected from the cold world outside.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't worry about this often. Ever since the married couple first thought of adopting, he thought of millions of ways of protecting his child.

“Are they really that bad?”, Felix asked, turning away from Hyunjin, but still holding his hand. “Witches, I mean. Are they really so terribly bad?” Hyunjin didn't understand why he was asking this. It was not the point. He knew well that he wasn't a witch, like his mother wasn't either, so what would it matter if they were bad or not? “Think of it. Humans are not all good. Some are good, some are bad, some are neither even.” There was something unnatural in the way Felix spoke, it was somehow like the way he told his stories. It was like it was something he planned to say for a long time. “I think it's the same for witches and monsters. They are not all bad. They don't have to be bad.”

“Well, it doesn't matter if they are bad or not.”, Hyunjin sighed. “People will still threat badly everyone they see as bad, no matter if it's true or not.” Felix nodded. “They will. They always will, right?”, Felix took Hyunjin’s hand between both of his, caressing it. “I have been thinking about it. I think changing the world is too hard. We can't control what people are going to tell our son, Hyun..”

“Are you saying we should just let this happen and do nothing?”, Hyunjin felt anger rising inside of him. How could he even suggest something like this? “No, in no way. Believe me, I want more than anyone to break the neck of anyone who makes our little prince cry.”, he tried to sound like he was exaggerating, but he really was not. “But I know I could not protect him forever, as much as I wished.”

“So what?”, Hyunjin asked, wiping a tear from his eyes. “I think we should instead teach him to protect himself.”, noticing that Hyunjin seemed ready to shout at him, Felix explained himself. “I am not saying we should let him fight alone, dear, on the contrary. We are here for him, and I swear that I will fight for him until I let out my last sigh. But we have to know our limits. We have to know that we can't change the world. But we have to show him that he will be loved no matter what. That what anyone may say won't ever change who he really is. We have to give him the means to fight this cruel world on his own, so that when we're gone we will know he will be just fine.”

Hyunjin gave it some thought. It was painful but he knew it was true. “I think you are right.” “I know I am.” Even as a few more tears felt, Hyunjin could smile.

“If it does happen, we won't let Seungmin suffer alone. We will let him know that he doesn't need to let others hurt him. He will know that their words can't define who he is.” Felix nodded. Hyunjin nodded back, before hugging him. “You are proving to be a pretty good father. I don't know what I would do without you.” “I don't know what you would do without me either.”, Felix joked. After some thought, he added. “I know what I would do without you though. I would die in some stupid way.” Hyunjin laughed, and gently slapped his shoulder. 

He knew Seungmin would be alright.


End file.
